Out of Reach
by HopelessRomantic235
Summary: She wanted to break every bone in his body, make him scream for mercy, to hear his flesh burn under her chakra. She wanted to hurt him just like he hurt her to realize how much hell he caused and how much it killed her for him to be just out of reach.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, guess what kitties? I'm sick! XD Sort of, not really, but hey, I managed to stay home, so that counts for something ^_^ Anywho, this piece of crap just came to me when I was on DA, randomly searching for older pics of Sasuke until I found one with him as the Otokage.**

_**READ AND REVIEW!**_

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_**Out of Reach**_

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She strutted through the building, her white lab-coat swaying with her stride, greeting the shinobi who she walked by, instructing medical ninja as she past them, slapping on that stupid fake smile that always seemed to fool everyone and all the while trying to hide her tremulous hands.

Today was the day. The Chunin exams were being held in less than a month, therefore the Hogake, Kazekage and the _Otokage_ were required to meet in the Hidden Leaf, the village where the exams were traditionally held. She has put this off for as long as she could, and now, she has no choice but to face him. She took a deep breath and balled her pale hands into fists, willing her body to stop this foolishness and freaking get. On. With. It.

However, she knew her attempts were futile. She could see him now, still the same but different, just like every time she saw him in the past. He became the Otokage after Team 7 reunited to kill Madara and Danzo, she could still see his smile, engraved into her mind. Not a smirk, nor a frown, but a genuine smile when he saw she and Naruto had made it out alive and they were all breathing and he had the personal privilege of mercilessly killing the two people responsible for his clan's and his beloved brother's death. She thought things would change after that, but after two years she realizes that they never will, she now sees that he just might not ever belong to them again.

Tears pricked at her emerald eyes but she refused to let them fall as she grabbed a stack of papers off her desk and strode over to the meeting room. Actually it had a different name, but she never bothered to remember it, all it is was an empty room with the exception of three throne-like chairs situated in the middle of the round room that over-looked all of Konoha, much like the Hokage's office, where the Kages of the alliance villages would meet and discuss things far beyond her interest. And Naruto's as well, but he could not do anything about that now.

She knocked once on the mahogany door of the meeting room before turning the brass-door-knob and straightening her posture before she marched confidently through the door-frame, forcing that same fake smile on her lips.

"Sakura-chan." She smiled at Gaara, genuinely, because he deserved nothing short of her utmost respect.

"Gaara-kun, it's nice to see you finally," She said, placing the papers on the long glossed table in front of the thrones. "I've been meaning to stop by Suna to check on the medical-advances, but, someone has to do the paperwork around here." The two shared a laugh while Naruto glowered in the seat next to him.

"I do paperwork!" he insisted, acting as if his mother had just taken away his favorite toy.

Sakura smiled at him, nodding. "And, how often is that, again?" The blonde fell silent and Sakura reached over to ruffle his spiky golden locks.

Gaara smiled. "I'll actually be back here very soon; Matsuri refuses to have anyone deliver the baby but you. And, Kankuro and Temari have wanted to visit as well." Sakura smiled.

"Well, I'm sure Tem has a better reason for coming down here." she said, laughing as Gaara scowled at the mention of Temari's and Shikamaru's relationship.

Naruto and Sakura laughed once more, but soon it ended and she was forced to acknowledge the presence of the Otokage.

"Sasuke." She said, something twisting in her stomach when she didn't say the 'kun'.

"Sakura." She forced herself to smile at him, taking notice of his new snake-tattoo that spiraled up his toned chest and down his left arm and how his eyes seemed to analyze her every move, his dark hair that still managed to stand up all on its' own, the gold-rope that tied securely around his waist and even the way his lips were set. She wanted to just stare at him for hours so she had no chance of ever forgetting him.

Her fake smile suddenly became sweeter, more relaxed. "You look well, Sasuke." She said, her eyes softening and her voice coming out soft and sincere.

"You do too, Sakura." She nodded, smile faltering slightly as she turned away from him. "Well, we should get started then." Sakura said abruptly, shifting through the papers. "There's a lot to do before next month so we might be here a while." Great, that's just was she needs, to be in an enclosed space with Uchiha Sasuke and having no choice in leaving.

The truth? She hated him. She wanted to break every bone in his body, make him scream for mercy, to hear his flesh burn under her chakra. She wanted to hurt him just like he hurt her, to make him realize what kind of hell he put her and Naruto through.

And how much it kills her to have him just in her reach, but to never be able to really bring him back home.

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**A/N: Yea, I said crappy didn't I? Well, for those of you who actually like this, fear not, I am not mean enough to just leave something like this dangling right there, so I will be uploading the second chapter of this two-shot (Maybe even a 3-shot if people like it) as soon as I am done with it (So, some time in the near future)**

**REVIEW SO i KNOW YOU LIKE THIS AND THAT YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE!  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: yea, so I think this is going to turn into a 3/4-shot, depending on how the next chapter goes, but I do plan to be done with this short-story by Sunday night while it's still fresh in my mind and so I can also start on another short-story.**

**Thanks to all who reviewed:**

**Hinata's Inner Universe**

**SasukeShadowLake0017**

**MYinnerNINJA**

**Chariste**

**I so appreciate hearing your comments and I am proud to say I also got a lot of fav-story stuff and story-alert stuff, so this short-story is turning out pretty good! ^^ Hope you like this chapter!**

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_**Out of Reach**_

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As soon as she walked through the door Naruto's blabber became nothing but background sound and he finally understood what Naruto was saying to him earlier. _"When she walks into the room, everyone stops and stares."_ But it was so much more than that. When she walks into a room, she's all people _want_ to see, and he bet she was an even better sight when she wasn't wearing that stupid fake smile that no one ever seemed to see through.

"Sakura-chan." His head unconsciously snapped to where the Kazekage sat when he heard the suffix. _Chan_? Since when was she so buddy-buddy with the man who almost killed her?

Surprisingly enough her smile changed, it was more realistic and instantly he was jealous. "Gaara-kun, It's nice to see you, finally." She said, her voice had changed since the last time they spoke, she sounded so much more grown-up now. "I've been meaning to stop by Suna to check on the medical-advances, but, someone as to do the paperwork around here." They laughed, and he found himself wanting to hear more of that precious sound.

Naruto growled beside him. "I do paper-work!" He rolled his eyes. _Dobe…_

Sakura laughed again and ruffled his hair, motherly-like, and nodded. "And how often is that again?" He opened his mouth to say something but then shut it closed. Sakura laughed again.

The rest of the conversation, he didn't really care about, he found himself searching for the little changes that most people would over-look. For one, her outfit changed. She wore a white lab-coat over a sleeveless red top with her clan insignia on her stomach. She had the same black knee-high boots and black-shorts with a different skirt, a black belt tying around her hips.

He saw her reluctance to look at him and how her lips moved with slight irritation, or was that her just being careful? He didn't know, but when her eyes finally turned to him he saw everything she struggled to hide from him, an open book, like always.

"Sasuke." She said, forcing a smile onto her lips.

"Sakura." He replied, equally as blunt, his voice void of any emotion.

Suddenly, her smile became less strained and something about her eyes relaxed. "You look well…" Her voice was sweet and sincere, something he hadn't been expecting.

"You do too, Sakura." He answered, wanting to say more but not knowing how much he should say. Would it be too weird for him to act like nothing had happened? All the same, Naruto had accepted him back, why couldn't she? Even as he thought it, Sasuke knew the answer. Because she wasn't anything like Naruto, she had stopped fighting for him a long time ago, in her mind she will always see it as him leaving her and only her, because, in actuality, he did. She proclaimed her love for him and he didn't even blink, she was the last to see him and the first to meet him again, she felt betrayed and heartbroken.

Could he ever be able to fix that? Make her see that he's really changed? _No_, that's what Naruto said. He told him that she had given up and when he suddenly just turned the other leaf, she threw herself into her work, barley coming out of the hospital, Naruto described it as having to almost drag her out. She was even more a mess than when he left.

"Well, we should get started then." He heard the urgency in her voice, as if the room would collapse on top of her if she didn't get out as soon as possible.

"There's a lot to do until next month," O_nly because you were being dense and tried to avoid this meeting for as long as you could_, Sasuke thought. "We might be here a while." She had probably gagged at the mere thought of spending another minute in the same room as Sasuke.

But, could he really blame her? After everything he's caused, he's surprised she didn't get someone else to do this for her.

_Maybe it's better this way…_Sasuke thought, mentally slapping himself for even thinking it. This was not better, having Sakura hate him and not wanting to even _look_ at him was not better. Sasuke found himself wanting her to accept him back like everyone else was slowly doing. Even Ino pulled him aside to see how he was doing. Ino! And his own teammate (Sorry, _ex_ teammate) can't even do that?

_You left her on a bench in the middle of the night,_ a small part of his mind said. _You don't deserve her acceptance. _Maybe he didn't. But, he was damned well not going to settle for it.

* * *

After the meeting Sakura had hurriedly gathered the papers and more than less fled the room, hardly glancing at him as she did so. Yea, that's going to stop.

After Gaara had left to do something or another Naruto had sadly proclaimed he had a lot of paperwork to do and sulked out of the room, promising Sasuke that they would spare so Naruto could kick his ass.

Sasuke sat for a few minutes, listening to his surroundings, making sure the halls were empty before departing the room as well and stealthily sweeping down the hall. Not even a moment later Sasuke saw Shizune and remembered something about her being one of Sakura's mentors.

"Shizune-san." He greeted.

"Oh, S-Sasuke-sama," she stammered, obviously uncomfortable. "What can I do for you?"

"Where is Sakura?"

"S-Sakura?" He nodded. "Oh, well, I think I might have saw her heading towards the training fields but-" Sasuke walked on past her without a word of thanks and disappeared around the corner.

He ignored the villagers that stared at him as he passed and the half-hearted greetings of the people he actually knew. If he remembered correctly then the training grounds were just outside of Konoha, to the south. Then again, the Leaf had been completely reconstructed from the ground up since the Akatsuki attack. He could be wondering for hours...

"Hey, Sasuke!" He turned and saw Team Gai, Tenten waving her arm in the air. "I just had to say hi before you left, how've you been?"

"Okay." He replied, Tenten smiled.

"That's great, Sasuke, we're all glad that you're…Uh…That you're…"

"In good health, Uchiha-san." Neji finished. "We also wanted to thank you for making sure Naruto and Sakura got out of there alive, Konoha would be nothing without those two." Sasuke nodded, they were referring to the defeat of Madara.

"Yes, thank you, Sasuke-san, Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun mean a lot to this village and others as well, we will also have to have a rematch sometime soon." Lee said, flashing his beaming smile.

Sasuke smirked. "Sure, Lee."

"Yosh! I shall go ahead and train extra-hard today so I shall not disappoint Gai-sama or Sakura-chan!"

"Yea, you go right ahead Lee." Tenten said, shaking her head as he jogged past. "We'll be right there."

"YOSH!"

"So, where ya headed, Sasuke?" Tenten asked, smiling.

"I was looking for the training grounds."

"Oh, right, we're still trying to get used to Konoha's new arrangement too. Jut head East, you'll find it, but you better steer clear of Grounds 7, Shikamaru told me Sakura's busy tearing it up." She chuckled. "I feel bad for the poor sap who got Haruno Sakura pissed off." Neji smirked.

Sasuke inwardly groaned, _He_ was that sap. Naruto also said something about Sakura's even worse temper and how she can make grown ANBU _cry_. 

"Yes, Sakura-san can be somewhat of a short fuse, you wouldn't know anything about that, would you Sasuke?" _Damn Huuga,_ Sasuke thought, glaring.

"No, I don't." Sasuke seethed, Neji just shook his head.

"See you around Sasuke! Good seeing you!" Tenten called as she and Neji walked away. Sasuke nodded to her and headed east like she had instructed and, sure enough, not even two minutes later he heard crashing and the loud groans of trees before shatters and deep rumbled rocking the ground. He also noticed how very few people ventured further than the last building on the street, some even cringing at each shudder they heard.

This should be fun.

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**A/N: Yea, sorry if it's kind of boring. Anywho, if you haven't noticed I'm doing one chappie with Sasuke's perspective and one with Sakura's, so that's why I don't know if this will turn into a 4-chapter thing or a 3-chapter thing. **

**REVIEW! YOSH!**

**(PS, I love writing as Lee xp)  
**


	3. Chapter 4

**A/N: Wow, I' happy! I woke up this morning with like 15 emails all from you guys! Granted there were only 3 reviews (Sadness) but still thanks a lot you guys! XD**

**And to those who did review:**

**pirateKitten11893**

**crazymel2008**

** Ms. Anny.O**

**BIG THANK YOUS! I'M SO GLAD YOU GUYS LIKE THIS!**

**Anywho, on with the chapter!**

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_**Out of Reach**_

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_BOOM!_

Another tree shattered under her palm, splinters of wood hitting her cheeks before she jumped back and landed on a large boulder. She charged chakra to her fingertips and sunk her nails into the stone before jumping down, throwing the rock over her head and listening to the bone-shuttering cracks as trees were ripped from their roots in the path of the boulder.

She smirked slightly, admiring her handy-work before she focused her chakra into her hand, feeling the familiar tingle as the raw energy circled in her palm. She jumped, performing a series of flips before she came down hard on the earth. First a shudder, then a groan as the different clumps of ground separated and then an explosion as everything combusted and flew into the air.

She breathed heavily and wiped the sweat from her brow. She looked down at herself and wondered which attack had brought her red shirt to tatters and just where her white lab-coat was.

She saw it, stuck in-between two mounds of earth.

_Ugh, forget it…_

She turned away from the sight and started to walk. She didn't know how long or how far she'd gone when she saw a familiar post. She had to smile, brushing her pale hands, scared by countless missions, over the still soft dark wood and closed her eyes. She could still hear Naruto's care-free laughter and picture him tied to the post. She remembered when she hand-fed him and not even the second-bite in Kakashi appeared, all menacing just to tell them that they passed their first "mission". She remembered that stupid cat, what was him name again? Tora, right? She wanted to go back to those times, to try harder and then maybe, just maybe, she could have been strong enough to at least delay Sasuke when he was leaving, long enough for someone to come and help.

"I haven't seen this place in a while…" She felt like she should be surprised, but really, she just wanted him to leave her alone.

"What do you want, Sasuke?" Another funny feeling when she didn't say the 'kun' rocked her stomach.

"What are you doing out here, Sakura?" She crossed her arms.

"What's it to you?" She demanded.

"Sakura, you're ignoring me." She looked away. "I don't like it." Sakura scoffed.

"Well, sorry if I'm not particularly keen on spending time with the man who broke my heart and left me on a stone bench in the middle of the night and tried to kill me three times," She took a step closer. "Do you even have the slightest idea of what I've done for you? If it wasn't for me you would be locked away in some cell with people poking and prodding you with needles, extracting your eyes so the world wouldn't loose the Sharingon when you would be executed."

"They were going to execute me?" Sakura gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Of course they were! You joined Akatsuki and captured Bee-sama, you infiltrated the meeting of the kages and you killed Danzo in cold blood! They wanted you killed Sasuke and they wanted _me_ to do it." She saw his eyes widen.

"You're the whole reason why I became a medical ninja, Sasuke, why I wanted to become Tsunade's apprentice, so I could be strong enough to bring you back home, because I was sick and tired of always watching your backs. But that's the worst part! I'm the best medical ninja in the world because of _you _and I don't know if I should thank you or punch you." Another step.

"Why didn't you just kill me then?" Sasuke spat, causing her to flinch away from him before her temper flared once more.

"Because every time I tried I always saw that little thirteen-year-old boy who just wanted his mother!" She shouted at him, rising on her toes. "Because whenever I looked at you I thought of Team 7 and everything you stood for and what Kakashi and Naruto had always told me, we were family! And…Because…" Tears threatened to spill, her voice became shaky and she struggled to breath right.

"Just spit it out Sakura!"

"Because you said thank you!" She slapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes widening.

Sasuke looked at her with exasperated confusion. "Because…I said…Thank you…?" She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head furiously, her hands still over her mouth.

"S…Sakura…?" He took a step near her, holding out his hand as if he was going to embrace her. She shook her head again and backed away from him before taking off in a run.

"Sakura!" Sasuke called, wondering why his legs wouldn't follow her.

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**A/N: Yea, sorry that it's kind of short, it just seemed like a good place to end it. The next chapter should be up later today and if not then defiantly tomorrow. Updates should be coming a bit more slower because tomorrow's Monday and I have school, but it's not going to be long until I'm done with this short-story.**

**And for the people who have read my other story, "The Lioness" and are wondering when the next chapter will be up, I am having an immense writers block so I don't plan to have the next chapter up until I am finished with this short-story.**

**REVIEW!  
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	4. Chapter 5

**A/N: Oh my gosh guys! I am so sorry! I know this is really late and I really did plan to upload, like 3 chapters this week, but I ended up spending the whole week at my Aunt's house and I didn't have my computer! D: But I will make it up to you guys, I'm not promising anymore chapters today because I'm going shopping pretty soon, but be expecting a lot of updates this week!**

**Anywho, thanks so much, as always, to all my wonderful reviewers:**

**Sodapop**

**pirateKitten11893**

**princess-dq**

**tobi8010**

**Thanks again to all of you!  
**

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_**Out of Reach**_

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"See? Isn't this relaxing, forehead…?" Ino's voice drifted further and further away from reality as a masseuse kneaded her back. Sakura closed her eyes, not responding, but instead trying to enjoy this time with Ino. With all the missions and responsibilities, she and Ino haven't been able to spend much time together.

Sakura ended up spending the whole day with her and she laughed through every minute of it. The activities were almost enough to make her forget about Sasuke by the end of the day.

Almost.

"Okay, I have to get going, see you soon Forehead!"

"Bye Pig!" As soon as she closed the door to her home, the events of nine-days prior came flooding back to her mind and she felt extremely drained. She leaned against the door for a while more, feeling as if her legs would buckle under her if she attempted to walk.

She wished this could end. She wished she had the guts to face him. She thought about him all the time, she pictured his face, the way his lips moved when he talked, how his bangs fell just over his smoldering black eyes.

"Ugh, I'm going insane." She muttered, pressing the heel of her palms over her stinging dry eyes. She sunk down to the floor in front of her door and curled her legs to her chest, sighing.

"Sakura."

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Sasuke wondered through the halls of Sakura's home, he had found Kakashi wondering the village, of course always accompanied by his little orange book, and confronted him.

_"__Sasuke?"_ His silver eyes held something of sorrow and happiness mixed together before his lone eye crinkled into a smile. _"Sasuke!"_ He put his book back in his ninja pouch and stuck his hand out. _"Good to see you."_ At that moment, all Sasuke could feel was something blossoming in his stomach. He thought this is what the butterflies felt like.

And, at _that_ moment he felt as emotionally-challenged as Sai.

He found himself smirking slightly, something that was almost a smile. _"Kakashi."_ He enveloped his hand with his sensei's and the butterflies came back. _"I have a problem."_

_"__I presume it's Sakura."_

_"__How did you know?"_

_"__Because I know her, and I knew she would be unwilling to accept you."_

_"__So, what do I do?"_

_"__Well, I would have though you wouldn't care what she thought of you."_

_"__Kakashi-"_

_"__Don't worry, I won't tell."_

Sasuke's face screwed into confusion. _"Tell what?"_

_"__You'll see."_ Like always, Kakashi's words were a riddle, and like old-times, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sasuke glared at the spot where the Jounin used to be.

So, here he was, walking through the halls of Sakura's home, looking at the happy, smiling pictures of her and friends and old pictures of her and her family. She had a nice home, a large, stone fire place in the living room with a white leather couch with a matching reclining chair and a glass coffee-table in the middle of the room. There was a matching glass side-table at the end of the couch with a lamp. On the fire-place were even more pictures and a vase of flowers.

Her kitchen was large, with a small-ish, round table and five chairs. The counters were granite with a matching island and glass stained wooden cabinets. There were four rooms. The walls of the first one he saw were bookshelves that stretched from the floor to the ceiling filled to the brim with a wooden desk in the middle. Many books were opened and scattered on the floor, papers and pencils littered around the room. The next looked like her office, there was a large desk that covered one wall, and pictures of flowers hung on the walls which he guessed was Ino's idea. There were beakers and droppers situated on one side and then in the middle was a computer. Half of the office looked like her work area, and then again, so did the whole room which was in the same condition as her library.

Sasuke went upstairs next, passing a bathroom on the way and saw a guest bed-room with two beds, each with a night-stand and a bathroom. There were two large chests at the foot of each bed and two dressers on each side of the room with a walk-in closet filled with brown boxes.

He guessed Naruto stayed with her sometimes, but what's with the other bed? Even as he asked himself he knew the answer. The replacement, Sai. His fists clenched at the thought of him sleeping in the same home as Sakura.

The next room, was hers. A king-sized bed in the middle with a canopy hanging over it. There was a large, white dresser under the equally as big window, the curtains closed. There was a night-stand on either side of the bed and then a fire-place in front of it. He saw that the walk-in closet was filled with dresses and coats and beautifully crafted kimonos.

There was a picture everywhere you looked, mostly of her and her team. There was one where she looked particularly beautiful at the spring festival, holding Naruto's and Sai's hand when the picture was taken. He turned away from it and saw the little trinkets that lined the shelves on the walls. Empty perfume bottles she must have thought were pretty enough to keep with small and big hair-clips of all different designs.

There was a large bathroom that looked like she hadn't used it in a week, but he paid no mind to it when he saw their picture of team seven, the frame looking worn. He picked it up delicately, as if the slightest movement could shatter it. He looked at him and Naruto, glaring at each other over Sakura. Kakashi's eye was smiling, like always, his hands on the top of Naruto's and his head. And then Sakura, leaning forward and smiling like it was the happiest day on earth. She was such a contrast to him and Naruto, the two boys seemed locked in battle in the photo, while she looked careless and happy to just be there.

He wanted to see her like that again.

Over the years, he found himself missing Naruto and Sakura, like something was void in his chest and he just didn't know how to fill it. He didn't know that his old team was the cause of that hole until they were fighting side-by-side again. The old whimsical feeling having returned.

And now, he feels like he needs them in order to be happy. But, when did that change? He, at first, wanted nothing to do with them and as time grew on they forced his eyes open to what really mattered. Happiness, a family, friends. But, he couldn't have that, not yet. But, now that everything was done and over with, now that the cause of his unhappiness was dead, he could have that. He wanted that.

And now he can't have it.

The turning of a lock brought Sasuke from his thoughts and he remembered just why he was at Sakura's home in the first place. He watched her come inside, she looked happy for the slightest of moments, but when she closed the door, her shoulders slumped like the weight of the world was on her shoulders when she entered her own home. She didn't seem to realize that he was there when she sunk down to the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest. She muttered something that he didn't really hear.

Sasuke felt nervous, wondering what she would do when he revealed himself. She wouldn't try to run would she?

He swallowed his pride and stepped out from the shadows. "Sakura."

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**A/N: Yea, sorry if it's kind of sucky but I really wanted to get this in today!**

**LOTS OF REVIEWS= HAPPY AUTHORESS & HAPPY AUTHORESS= QUICKER UPDATES! ^^  
**


	5. Chapter 6

**A/N: Oh my gosh guys! I am so sorry! I know this is really late and I really did plan to upload, like 3 chapters this week, but I ended up spending the whole week at my Aunt's house and I didn't have my computer! D: But I will make it up to you guys, I'm not promising anymore chapters today because I'm going shopping pretty soon, but be expecting a lot of updates this week!**

**Anywho, thanks so much, as always, to all my wonderful reviewers:**

**Sodapop**

**pirateKitten11893**

**princess-dq**

**tobi8010**

**Thanks again to all of you!  
**

* * *

_**Out of Reach**_

* * *

"See? Isn't this relaxing, forehead…?" Ino's voice drifted further and further away from reality as a masseuse kneaded her back. Sakura closed her eyes, not responding, but instead trying to enjoy this time with Ino. With all the missions and responsibilities, she and Ino haven't been able to spend much time together.

Sakura ended up spending the whole day with her and she laughed through every minute of it. The activities were almost enough to make her forget about Sasuke by the end of the day.

Almost.

"Okay, I have to get going, see you soon Forehead!"

"Bye Pig!" As soon as she closed the door to her home, the events of nine-days prior came flooding back to her mind and she felt extremely drained. She leaned against the door for a while more, feeling as if her legs would buckle under her if she attempted to walk.

She wished this could end. She wished she had the guts to face him. She thought about him all the time, she pictured his face, the way his lips moved when he talked, how his bangs fell just over his smoldering black eyes.

"Ugh, I'm going insane." She muttered, pressing the heel of her palms over her stinging dry eyes. She sunk down to the floor in front of her door and curled her legs to her chest, sighing.

"Sakura."

* * *

Sasuke wondered through the halls of Sakura's home, he had found Kakashi wondering the village, of course always accompanied by his little orange book, and confronted him.

_"__Sasuke?"_ His silver eyes held something of sorrow and happiness mixed together before his lone eye crinkled into a smile. _"Sasuke!"_ He put his book back in his ninja pouch and stuck his hand out. _"Good to see you."_ At that moment, all Sasuke could feel was something blossoming in his stomach. He thought this is what the butterflies felt like.

And, at _that_ moment he felt as emotionally-challenged as Sai.

He found himself smirking slightly, something that was almost a smile. _"Kakashi."_ He enveloped his hand with his sensei's and the butterflies came back. _"I have a problem."_

_"__I presume it's Sakura."_

_"__How did you know?"_

_"__Because I know her, and I knew she would be unwilling to accept you."_

_"__So, what do I do?"_

_"__Well, I would have though you wouldn't care what she thought of you."_

_"__Kakashi-"_

_"__Don't worry, I won't tell."_

Sasuke's face screwed into confusion. _"Tell what?"_

_"__You'll see."_ Like always, Kakashi's words were a riddle, and like old-times, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sasuke glared at the spot where the Jounin used to be.

So, here he was, walking through the halls of Sakura's home, looking at the happy, smiling pictures of her and friends and old pictures of her and her family. She had a nice home, a large, stone fire place in the living room with a white leather couch with a matching reclining chair and a glass coffee-table in the middle of the room. There was a matching glass side-table at the end of the couch with a lamp. On the fire-place were even more pictures and a vase of flowers.

Her kitchen was large, with a small-ish, round table and five chairs. The counters were granite with a matching island and glass stained wooden cabinets. There were four rooms. The walls of the first one he saw were bookshelves that stretched from the floor to the ceiling filled to the brim with a wooden desk in the middle. Many books were opened and scattered on the floor, papers and pencils littered around the room. The next looked like her office, there was a large desk that covered one wall, and pictures of flowers hung on the walls which he guessed was Ino's idea. There were beakers and droppers situated on one side and then in the middle was a computer. Half of the office looked like her work area, and then again, so did the whole room which was in the same condition as her library.

Sasuke went upstairs next, passing a bathroom on the way and saw a guest bed-room with two beds, each with a night-stand and a bathroom. There were two large chests at the foot of each bed and two dressers on each side of the room with a walk-in closet filled with brown boxes.

He guessed Naruto stayed with her sometimes, but what's with the other bed? Even as he asked himself he knew the answer. The replacement, Sai. His fists clenched at the thought of him sleeping in the same home as Sakura.

The next room, was hers. A king-sized bed in the middle with a canopy hanging over it. There was a large, white dresser under the equally as big window, the curtains closed. There was a night-stand on either side of the bed and then a fire-place in front of it. He saw that the walk-in closet was filled with dresses and coats and beautifully crafted kimonos.

There was a picture everywhere you looked, mostly of her and her team. There was one where she looked particularly beautiful at the spring festival, holding Naruto's and Sai's hand when the picture was taken. He turned away from it and saw the little trinkets that lined the shelves on the walls. Empty perfume bottles she must have thought were pretty enough to keep with small and big hair-clips of all different designs.

There was a large bathroom that looked like she hadn't used it in a week, but he paid no mind to it when he saw their picture of team seven, the frame looking worn. He picked it up delicately, as if the slightest movement could shatter it. He looked at him and Naruto, glaring at each other over Sakura. Kakashi's eye was smiling, like always, his hands on the top of Naruto's and his head. And then Sakura, leaning forward and smiling like it was the happiest day on earth. She was such a contrast to him and Naruto, the two boys seemed locked in battle in the photo, while she looked careless and happy to just be there.

He wanted to see her like that again.

Over the years, he found himself missing Naruto and Sakura, like something was void in his chest and he just didn't know how to fill it. He didn't know that his old team was the cause of that hole until they were fighting side-by-side again. The old whimsical feeling having returned.

And now, he feels like he needs them in order to be happy. But, when did that change? He, at first, wanted nothing to do with them and as time grew on they forced his eyes open to what really mattered. Happiness, a family, friends. But, he couldn't have that, not yet. But, now that everything was done and over with, now that the cause of his unhappiness was dead, he could have that. He wanted that.

And now he can't have it.

The turning of a lock brought Sasuke from his thoughts and he remembered just why he was at Sakura's home in the first place. He watched her come inside, she looked happy for the slightest of moments, but when she closed the door, her shoulders slumped like the weight of the world was on her shoulders when she entered her own home. She didn't seem to realize that he was there when she sunk down to the floor and pulled her knees up to her chest. She muttered something that he didn't really hear.

Sasuke felt nervous, wondering what she would do when he revealed himself. She wouldn't try to run would she?

He swallowed his pride and stepped out from the shadows. "Sakura."

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**A/N: Yea, sorry if it's kind of sucky but I really wanted to get this in today!**

**LOTS OF REVIEWS= HAPPY AUTHORESS & HAPPY AUTHORESS= QUICKER UPDATES! ^^  
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	6. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey all. OH MY GOSH I HAVEN'T UPDATED THIS THING IN LIKE ALMOST 2 MONTHS! D: I am SOOOOOOOO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY YOU GUYS! Honestly, though, I've never gone this long without updating a story but I have this thing called a life and sometimes it gets in the way of other priorities :)**

**Enjoy the chapter my humble readers!**

**AND REVIEW DAMN IT!  
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Out of Reach**_

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She crept through the halls like a panther stalking her prey, blending in with the early-morning shadows whenever she heard a slight noise, jumping to the ceiling when a tree branch scraped against a window.

Sakura was nothing more than something of your imagination, the slight sound you _thought_ you heard, but when you turn around no one was there.

She searched through the upstairs first, finding everything in order, not a speck of dust out of place. She continued downstairs, skipping the squeaky step and landing soundlessly on the balls of her feet.

She felt something wrong as soon as her feet touched the hard wood. A light, to her left in her study. She narrowed her eyes slightly. That little son of a bitch…

Sakura floated to her study and found Sasuke sitting cross-legged on her floor with a pile of books around him, one sitting in his lap. He spoke, not looking at her. "Why do you have so many books, Sakura?" She was taken aback by the question.

"W-What?" She croaked, her voice unsteady. His dark eyes slid from the page to her form.

"The books, you have a lot, I want to know why." She glared suddenly, taking a step forward.

"Why are you here?" She demanded, her voice dripping with malice. Sasuke smirked.

"Don't you remember, Sak-ur-a?" He taunted, making Sakura glare even harder at him and a light pink blush dust her cheeks.

"Of course I do," She replied bitingly. "What I want to know is why you feel the need to stick around." Sasuke stood, cautious of the books around him and walked over to Sakura with his hands in his pockets, looking down on her.

_As always…,_ Sakura thought bitterly.

"And why would you think that?"

"Because I can take care of myself." Sakura snapped, not missing a beat, annoyed with the smug smirked that spread across his face.

"Really?" His hot breath fanned across her face, Sakura stepped back.

"Yes," She hissed. "_Really_. I'm not helpless Sasuke, I would have made it just fine without you. I can take care of myself and I don't need you or Tsunade or Naruto or anyone else telling me otherwise!" She was shouting now, rising on her toes and bellowing in his face, anger pulsating through her veins.

"Sakura…" He said calmly.

"WHAT?"

"You still haven't answered my question." Sakura's hostile posture changed. Her shoulders slacked a little, her fists uncurled, her eyes became a little less threatening and she leaned slightly away from Sasuke.

She breathed heavily for a moment before completely pulling away and walking around him, rummaging through her desk.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" He asked, slightly exasperated.

"You wanted to know right? Well, I'm showing you," She pulled out several tattered, clearly abused, notebooks and went to retrieve almost half of the books on the shelves, dropping them to the floor along with the notebooks.

"There." She huffed. "I'm sure that will answer all the questions you have," Sakura crossed her arms, glaring again. "I have a hospital shift, I need to go." And that was it, she grabbed some clothes and was out the door without another word.

Sasuke grabbed a notebook and flipped through the first two pages, his eyes skimmed over Sakura's neat scrawl, occasionally Naruto's sloppy handwriting as well, and it didn't take him long to realize that all the notebooks were recordings of his sightings and recent information at that time. He gulped, a lump lodging in his throat. He picked up one of the books and saw that it was a document about the Sharingon, old and worn. He saw the others had to do with the curse mark and the different stages and such things like that. All the books and notes had to do with him.

Sasuke stood, gingerly stacking the notebooks back on her desk and putting the books back on the shelf. He turned off all the lights before leaving, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking back to the Hokage Tower for yet another meeting about the Chunine Exams.

Sakura had so many books because she was looking for him. Learning about the curse-mark, taking notes on how to cure it or even just stem the effects. She studied the Sharingon and wrote down where he was, or where Konoha _thought_ he was. She never stopped trying to learn, he guessed, every book telling him something different about her.

But, Sasuke also noticed how the entries abruptly stopped in the very middle of a notebook. She didn't look for long, he supposed. Sasuke dragged his feet his whole walk, feeling dejected for a reason he didn't know.

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**Again, really sorry for such a LATE update, life's been sorta hectic (As it tends to be)**

_**REVIEW AND THE NEXT UPDATE WILL BE MONDAY!**_


	7. Chapter 8

**A/N: Well, at least it hasn't been 2 months again ^.^; But, still pretty late.**

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**Cheers**

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**Renny-Chan**

**For reviewing, anyway, READ THE CHAPTER!  
**

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**_Out of Reach_**

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Sakura didn't know where she was going, she didn't know who she would run into, what she would say when she did and she wasn't even sure she cared anymore. But, she did know that she had to get out of that house, the walls were closing in, breathing became labored. And the way Sasuke had stared at her made Sakura want to pull her hair out.

So, she ran. The villagers looked on questioningly as she past, her face contorted with slight confusion, worry and fatigue. She knew Shizune would be angry when she showed up late for her shift, and she knew that she would probably be even more upset when her lack of focus caused her to accidentally cut open someone's eye. Yea, that wouldn't be a good start to the day.

"Hey, Sakura!" She barley heard her name being called, hardly glancing behind her before she saw a flash of red. Sakura stopped immediately, waiting for Karin to catch up.

"Sakura," she said, exasperated. "What's going on? I heard about Sasuke," –Her face took on a dark, eerily blank, expression- . "I tried to find you as soon as I could but everyone I talked to sent me a different way." Sakura and Karin have become somewhat close friends. They had to spend a lot of time together when Karin was first brought back and then, of course, someone had to also go through the training process of becoming a full Konoha ninja, therefore Sakura had to go through the Chunin Exams a _third time_ with _Karin_.

The first few days were not fun in the least.

Sakura nodded to her, speaking in between shortened breaths. "Yea, I guess it is about him - I'm surprised you haven't heard of this sooner - apparently Sasuke's been the Otokage for a while now." Karin kept pace with Sakura, a clip-board held tightly in her hands. "But, I really don't want to talk about him - tell me about the hospital." Karin obeyed, knowing that work is how Sakura deals with her grief.

"Right, you have seven new patients, they all asked specifically for you and they won't let anyone else near them, but, Naruto-sama has been dropping other patients on the others medics because of the preparation for the next Chunin Exams, he said that you were supposed to meet him about it sometime today."

Sakura sighed, her quick steps slowing. "Yea, I know." The rest of the walk was silent, Sakura and Karin parted ways at the entrance of the hospital, waving to each other as they did so. Sakura went to grab her new patient roster and circled the building to get some information.

By the time she was done only an hour and a half had passed, it was only ten in the morning and Sakura had no idea how she would get through the rest of the day without some serious pills.

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Naruto paced the expanse of the Meeting Room, Gaara and Sasuke watching him grumbling under his breath impassively, occasionally sharing a few glances.

"Were is she, she's never late…" Naruto mumbled, his hands behind his back.

"Naruto," Gaara finally spoke. "I'm sure Sakura-chan is just busy at the hospital, there is no need to rush these things, we have all day for what we need to get done." Naruto shook his head.

"No, she would have sent someone, she never does this…" Gaara sighed, settling back into his chair to watch Naruto continue his silent rant.

Suddenly the door opened with a bang and Sakura walked in, her hair slightly disheveled, windblown and she was panting. "Sorry I'm late." She said, dropping a pile of documents on the table.

Naruto looked at her incredulously, Sakura always knocked, she was never late -usually she was even early- and, on the rare occasions that she was running slightly off schedule, she would send Shizune, Sai, some unoccupied nurse, to go ahead and alert the people awaiting her.

Now, as he looked at his friend, a slightly forced smile, mussed hair, her usually bright green eyes somehow worn, and aged even, Naruto saw someone different.

And, in that moment, Naruto decided that he was going to seriously damage the person responsible for this.

Sakura, though, went on with the meeting as if nothing was wrong; Gaara and Naruto shared a look of disbelief, going unnoticed by the kunoichi.

The meeting went on without a hitch, when it was over Naruto attempted to speak with Sakura, but she skipped away from him, documents folded in her arms. "Well, I should go file these, goodbye." She hurried out with a flustered, forced, smile, the door slamming slightly as she closed it.

Sasuke seemed undisturbed by the incident (After all, he did not know Sakura like Naruto and Gaara) but still slightly perplexed by the situation.

Gaara spoke first. "Who upset her?" Naruto shrugged, still staring at the door, his mouth slightly agape.

Sasuke cleared his throat. "I only asked why she had so many books…" Naruto turned on him, glaring.

"Did she show you-"

"Yes. She stormed out before-"

"YOU TEME!" Naruto shouted. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD EVEN ASK A STUPID QUESTION LIKE THAT!"

"How was I supposed to know, Naruto?" Sasuke demanded, his hands curling into fists as the blonde fumed at him.

"It's obvious!" Naruto countered back. "Why the hell do you think Sakura-chan became a medical ninja anyway?" Sasuke stared at him blankly; Gaara interfered before Naruto could continue his rage.

"Naruto, it was not obvious to you for year either," He pointed out before turning to Sasuke. "Sakura-chan became Tsunade's apprentice because you left her, the village, everyone who loved you," Sasuke couldn't ignore the slight blaming tone in his voice. "You might not have had a family, but Sakura and Naruto and Kakashi loved you like you were apart of theirs." Naruto looked away, facing the wall as Gaara continued.

"Sakura-chan wanted to prove something to you, to everyone who ever thought she couldn't hold her own. She didn't want to be called 'weak' or 'annoying' by anyone ever again, she did it so she could have something to help you two with, so she wasn't watching from the sidelines anymore, she only wanted you two to appreciate her, she didn't want protection or to be babied.

"She wants to be seen as something more than the little girl Naruto and you still seem to think she is, but I can tell you one thing, if she had accepted my offer to come live in Suna, she would have been treated with the utmost respect, she would have been known by her teammates, idled even." Naruto flinched, hiding his grief behind his hair. He remembered that, Sakura had gone to Suna for a monthly review on overseeing the development of Suna's medical facilities, the details were slightly fuzzy, but he did remember that Sakura stayed a month there and then she was escorted back with Kankoru.

"I'll see you two later, I need to check if Temari has sent me a message yet." With that, Gaara left, closing the door silently.

Naruto and Sasuke stared at each other for a long time before Naruto opened his mouth to speak. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke." Sasuke nodded to him, walking out the door side-by-side before parting their ways at the end of the hallway.

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**A/N: Yep, so, I need ideas for this :) Pwease?**

**_Happy Holidays!_  
**


	8. Chapter 9

**A/N: Quick update! (Well, _quicker_, but the chapter is kind of short)**

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**For reviewing, this kind-of-suckish chapter is for you! :D**

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**_Out of Reach_**

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"Sakura?" Sasuke called, silently hoping that she wasn't home just so he could avoid the awkward situation that was about to happen.

He heard a loud bump coming from her study. Sasuke walked through the hall and found her on the floor, picking up a few medical texts that he assumed fell off the shelves. She looked up and Sasuke tried his ignore her tear-stained cheeks.

"S-Sasuke?" she stuttered, shocked.

"Sakura, I…I'm sorry," He managed to bite out. "I shouldn't have asked you about the books, I never thought that you and Naruto…I never…I…," Shit, so, he's really going to have to admit it. "I never realized how much you two actually...cared…" Sasuke looked up, his bangs covering his eyes slightly, to see Sakura's reaction.

She looked sad, regretful, maybe even a little confused.

So not the expression he was hoping to see.

"Sasuke…" She whispered, standing up. "Of course we cared about you, you...you were apart of our family. We loved you so much and you just…Ran away." That hurt more than Sasuke thought it would (And wanted it to).

"I didn't run away!" He shouted suddenly, Sakura recoiling slightly.

"Yes, you did, you cared so much about your stupid revenge and guess what Sasuke?" His muscles tightened for her next words, Sakura's face contorting into anger, resentment. "You killed your own brother for nothing!"

"Shut-up Sakura!" Sasuke warned. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Only because you won't tell me!" She shot back, walking closer to him. "Naruto and I tried so hard to make you happy, we wanted to help you, we didn't want you to hurt anymore. You could've had everything Sasuke, and now…" Her resilient face broke and she crumpled back to the floor.

"And, after knowing all of that…You still chose not to come back to us…Sasuke, I miss you so much," tears swelled in her eyes. "I've been waiting seven years for us to finally be a team again…and…you still won't come back to us…"

Sasuke balled his hands into fists angry at himself for being angry. "You don't know Sakura! This village called for my clan's death! I couldn't come back here!" She rose to her feet again.

"Only because your precious clan was planning an attack on their own home so they could rule Konoha again! As much as I hate the council, they were preventing another war, Sasuke!"

"Yea? Look how well that turned out!"

"It did! We won, Madara's dead, people speak of your brother as a hero again, even your name is cleared. What more do you want? What will make you happy Sasuke? What can I possibly do to make you want to come back _home_!" Silence. Tears fell down her cheeks, sounding tiny patters as they hit the wooden floor.

"We love you so got damn much, Sasuke, when will that ever be enough for you?"

"I...I don't know Sakura! I...I was so confused and I didn't...I didn't think you would _want_ me back..." She shook her head furiously, hiccuping and running to him, throwing her arms around her neck and nuzzling her face into his chest, breathing in his scent.

"We will never leave you Sasuke, I promise." As Sasuke looked down at her, he didn't see an annoying fan girl or a temperamental, love-sick teenager, he saw a young woman who has seen too much death, who has healed and saved the lives of thousands.

Sasuke finally believed that He saw Sakura for what she truly is.

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**A/N: SO CHEESY! OH MY GOD, I APOLOGIZE FOR THIS CRAP THAT I HAVE UNLEASHED UPON YOU!**

**SO disappointed with this shit...Ah, oh well, ya'll still love meh...And if you don't no more chapies! .**

**_REVIEW AND MAYBE THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE LESS CRAPPY!_**


	9. Chapter 10: Fin

**A/N: Last chapter :)  
**

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**_Out of Reach_**

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Sasuke woke up sitting against a couch, Sakura's couch, in Sakura's home with Sakura wrapped daintily in his arms, her hands fisted in his shirt and her face stained with dried tears.

"Sasuke?" she murmured groggily, raising her head to look at him with half-lidded eyes, drunken with sleep. "I don't want you to leave us again, say that you'll stay…Please?" The request didn't shock Sasuke, he has been expecting her to ask something like this after last night's events. What he didn't expect though, was to feel that tiny ache in his chest and to realize just how badly he wanted to say yes. A little portion of his mind that had missed his idiotic team, the missions, the fun, the memories. Sasuke wanted so badly to reassure her, to say that he would never leave again. All he's ever wanted was a family, people to love and to protect, now, he realizes, it's been Team 7 all along. The only people who stood up for him, jumped in front of swords for him, the people who cared and loved.

And here he was, laying with the girl who had been all of those things and more, who only wanted to help and to understand.

"Sakura…I don't know…" But he was scared, as always, he just didn't know of what. Sakura shook her head, her eyes widening with fear.

"No, you have to, you have to stay," she sounded like a little girl, her voice cracking, shaking slightly with something he didn't know, Sasuke couldn't recognize this part of her. "I know that there are plenty of ninja skilled enough to take on being the Mizukage," her arms wrapped around his waist, her head leaning back on his chest. "We can finally be a Team again Sasuke, you'd be happy, I promise."

He sighed, he's had this offer before. "I know I would, Sakura."

"Then, _why not_?" He didn't know. She was right, there are more than enough people who would be even more qualified to take on his own title. The Council is gone, Naruto's Hokage. Could anything really go wrong? His brother would want this, that's all he's ever wanted. A great life for Sasuke, surrounded by people who love and respect him and who would do anything for him.

That's what Itachi died for.

That's what Naruto and Sakura live for.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke sighed, but this time in contentment, could this be the end? He can let go now, be happy, _finally_ have a _life_.

That sounded pretty good to him.

"Okay, Sakura…"

"Okay?" Her voice sounded sober now, her arms gripping him tighter. Sasuke nodded, his arm draping over her waist once more. "Okay…Sasuke-kun."

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**Wow, so this is the end :) Thanks so much to all who have reviewed this little short-story. Love you all lots and remember to check out my other stories!  
**


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